Top Document: soc.culture.jewish FAQ: Worship, Conversion, Intermarriage (5/12) Previous Document: Question 11.4.2: Practices Towards Others: What does "eye for an eye" mean? Next Document: Question 11.6.1: Death and Burial: Is it true that someone with tattoos cannot be buried in a Jewish cemetery? See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge Answer: Most rishonim (medieval halachic authorities) considered Christianity to be avodah zarah. A notable exception were the Tosafists. They felt that the trinity is shutfus (assigning partners to G-d). That the Father is the Creater, and identiable with the Jewish G-d, and the other persons of the trinity are minor deities that mediate. The practical distinction is that while Jews are prohibited from believing in shutfus, it is permitted to non-Jews under the covenant of Noah. The Tosafists are a major force in Ashkenazic ruling. On their ruling, many Orthodox Jews who work in jewelery sell crosses and crucafixes. A necessary factor is the assumption that the overwhelming majority of customers will be people who aren't Jewish (in the sense of peoplehood, not just religion). Others do not rule like the Tosafists. Another issue is whether the Tosafists' statement about the Catholicism of their day applies to any / some / most of the plurality of Christianities that exist today. For a pragmatic ruling, it's something you'd need to discuss with a rabbi. User Contributions:Top Document: soc.culture.jewish FAQ: Worship, Conversion, Intermarriage (5/12) Previous Document: Question 11.4.2: Practices Towards Others: What does "eye for an eye" mean? Next Document: Question 11.6.1: Death and Burial: Is it true that someone with tattoos cannot be buried in a Jewish cemetery? Single Page [ Usenet FAQs | Web FAQs | Documents | RFC Index ] Send corrections/additions to the FAQ Maintainer: SCJ FAQ Maintainer <maintainer@scjfaq.org>
Last Update March 27 2014 @ 02:11 PM
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